Comments on: Not many jobs up for grabshttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/
News, analysis and commentary from someone who has covered the Washington Nationals since Day 1Tue, 03 Mar 2015 22:35:33 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.com/By: greghttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75852
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:10:52 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75852going back and looking at baseball reference, you're right, morse played some RF for us in 09/10. still, i agree with bowdenball that doing that would be downgrading two or three OF positions defensively as we're moving two guys into positions they are less qualified to play (werth into CF and morse into RF) and putting someone who's average in LF if you bring in pierre. again, i think the "leadoff hitter" can be overplayed a bit. yes, we would like to have someone better than desmond there. but finding someone marginally better and shoehorning them into a corner OF position really doesn't improve the team that much. i'd rather find someone who's just a better overall hitter and capable of playing all three OF spots. put them in RF (and maybe occasionally CF so werth isn't there every day) for now and turn them into the 4th OF when harper is ready. so someone like ross or ankiel is a better fit in my eyes. sure, they aren't leadoff hitters, but they fit the rest of the team needs better and offer more positional flexibility, which is more useful off the bench once they're 4th/5th OFs instead of starters.
]]>By: Anonymoushttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75845
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:39:55 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75845Bowdenball — there is really no reason to suspect that Roger Berndina is now somehow much better than he was last year. He's not an every day MLB player at this point. Maybe that changes, but he's a long shot to be a productive guy for this club in other than a reserve role. Nice glove, no bat. Thsioe Fangrpahs predictions are meaningless right now — they don;t even know what teams players are going to be on, what home parks, etc. I disagree that there are plenty of lead off guys available who can get on at a .325 clip. Who are you thinking of? Who else is out there that can lead off for the Nats in FA? And the order does matter in my mind. I agree with the notion that a player's ability to hit is not so much affected by his place in the order generally but a player who puts the ball in play a ton, gets on more than average and who can score from first on a double is a guy with one skill set and Carlos Lee is another. Werth is a guy who can hit 30 HR's, 45 Doubles, having him blast away with no one on base does not make so much sense should there be someone they could get who has a decent chance to score in front of him, no?Thanksdfh21
]]>By: Sunderlandhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75843
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:22:14 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75843Unkyd, that hybrid payroll solution you are seeking to retain your really good players as they get into and past arb years could also include signing a few of them to long term deals early on.Dangle guaranteed money ($40M / 8 years) in front of them while they are still in the period where they are year to year, and perhaps even still at league minimum.Let's say you do this with:Zimmermann EspinosaRamosYou sign each of them for 7 – 8 years, buying out their arb years and also extending them 2 or 3 years into when they would normally become free agents.It gives you cost certainty.It's a risk on both sides, but it is one worth taking on a few players.
]]>By: Bowdenballhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75835
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:08:01 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75835dfh21-If you move Morse to RF you're downgrading our defense there, so you gotta add that to the cost/benefit calculation. You upgrade LF, but probably downgrade RF more, and all to add a leadoff guy who, at his age, probably isn't much better than Bernadina.I agree that having Desmond leading off is problematic, but I don't see how this helps. There are plenty of leadoff guys available who can get on at a .325 clip while hitting for more power than Pierre and don't force a downgrade at RF. There might even me one or two already on the team. Bill James' projections at Fangraphs only have Bernadina's OBP at .006 less than Pierre, and that obviously gives us more power and keeps Morse in LF as well. The leadoff problem is a tough one if you really care about the batting order, but ultimately lineup spots don't really matter all that much. You're talking about one out in the first inning and maybe a few dozen extra ABs over the course of an entire season. If it were up to me I'd have Werth do it, but I know that would never fly with the baseball traditionalists.
]]>By: BinMhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75833
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:04:32 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75833Lombardozzi doesn't have the arm strength to play SS or 3rd on a regular basis, so the OF could be problematic. What he has is 1) great fundamentals for the IF (keeps the ball in front of him), 2) very sure/soft hands, 3) a quick throwing motion with repeatable accuracy (sets & throws from a 'squared-up' position, and knows when to 'eat' the occaisional grounder (something Desmond is still learning at 26). Should Lombo hit reasonably well in Viera, he & DeRosa could make a nice pair off the bench, with Lombardozzi in the MI role, and DeRosa on the CI/COF positions.
]]>By: Anonymoushttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75829
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:55:55 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75829Bowdenbll — I am thinking Pierre in LF, Morse in RF, and Werth in CF, with Cameron and Bernadina as bench guys. So, Pierre's ability to ony play LF is not such a big deal as they have a bunch of guys who can play RF or CF. Morse should be able to play RF for the bulk of half of a season until Harper comes to town. Again, does not have to be Pierre so much as a guy who can bat lead off if Desmond stinks it up. They cannot throw Desmond out there and coach him for however long it takes to get good as a lead off man should he not get off to a good start, that's the kind of stuff for the minor leagues and his track record is lousy. The leash on Ian as top of the order material has to be a very short one if this club wants to compete.dfh21
]]>By: Anonymoushttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75826
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:38:20 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75826Greg – didn't Morse play right his first season with us?
]]>By: gonatsgohttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75825
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:37:11 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75825Just came up for air at work. Whew – lots of posts for a cold day in January. re lead-off:if they decide it's going to be Desi then they have to put him there from the beginning, coach him constantly on the job of a lead-off hitter and then have the patience to leave him in there and let him learn. It will take a couple of seasons at least for him to be any good at it. Even good baseball players need many reps and lots of time to adjust to positions and roles. Ankiel is a fairly inexperienced hitter, having been a pitcher – Morse is a fairly inexperienced outfielder, having come up as a short stop. Some of these guys have been learning the details of their jobs since they were kids. They are bound to be more automatic. Pitching will work itself out, outfield still bothers me. I think we have a green left fielder ( Morse), one good right fielder ( Werth) and Harper, who can probably handle right or left. I really like Bernie in center – he is poetry in motion out there. Still leaves us with – ???? It just doesn't add up well. I think they see what happens this season and go for a center fielder next year. Patchwork outfield this year, I think — also a kind of sudden death of "what have you done for us lately". Who gets voted off the outfield first?
]]>By: greghttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75824
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:35:49 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75824one thing that dawned on me as i'm reading this… if pierre is playing LF, and werth is in CF, who's playing RF? i'm not sure morse has ever played RF, nor if he has the arm to be successful there. as long as laroche (or, if he's signed, prince) is at 1B, the LF is morse. if werth moves to CF, we need someone who can play RF every day, not LF. and pierre's noodle arm will not allow him to be successful in RF defensively.
]]>By: Unkydhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75823
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:34:21 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75823Hi, all! Backpedaling to yesterday's payroll discussion, if I may… Might there beca balance between the A's/Rays formula of selling everybody for prospects, before they get expensive, and the Yanks/Bosox way of signing/keeping the guys nobody else can afford? It seems to me that a clever GM could manage to keep 2-4 of his Besties on the roster, and turnover enough serviceable vets to keep a steady supply of youngsters fighting for spots on the 25 man, no? I didn't see anyone broach this angle, in the prior thread, but perhaps its obvious enough to not warrant mention… I could see that approach leading to a sustainably competitive team, at a payroll somewhere between middle-of-the-pack and stratosphere.
]]>By: Bowdenballhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75822
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:30:58 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75822dfh21-I'm not sure I understand what you would do with Pierre. I mean I understand the notion of a top of the order guy, although I think at this point in his career I think Bernadina can give you similar numbers, maybe even better numbers if you account for power. But where would you play Pierre? In CF, I guess? That's a lot to ask of a guy who hasn't played there regularly since 2007.
]]>By: Anonymoushttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75821
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:29:40 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75821Interesting conversations. I suggested Juan Pierre as a 1-yr fix for leadoff spot but I didn't indicate I'd pay him $7M. He's not worth that sum and he's lucky if some will sign him for more that $1-$3M. The Nats need a CF and leadoff hitter in the future and while there are some good CF/Leadoff Free Agents next year,the Nats are not the location for Free Agents at this time. Therefore, unless they are willing to overpay for a Free Agent next year, they will have this problem again, and again. Also,believing GMs like Rizzo when they say that they are not interested in something is like believing a politican about a campaign promise. Remember,Rizzo was the man who said that they were not interested in Fielder but it appears that Scott Boros & Nats are talking!! Also, Rizzo signed both Mike Cameron(R) and Chad Tracey(L)to minor league contracts WITH AN INVITATION TO SPRING TRAINING. These two veterans didn't sign those contracts without some "understanding" that if they had a average-good training camp that they would be added to the 25-man roster or they could walk. Tracey(1B/3B/OF)is the insurance policy if the Nats didn't sign Greg Dobbs(which appears they won't)as a LHH-PH. And Cameron is the platoon alternative with Bernadina in LF and RHH-PH against LHP which means that Werth plays CF. That situation changes ONLY IF DESMOND CAN"T PRODUCE IN LEADOFF SPOT in which case Rizzo would have to "reconsider" his short-term fix statement. And Juan Pierre may be the best alternative available.Call Me the Crazy GM
]]>By: Mark'dhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75820
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:29:12 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75820By the way, i would love to see 3 Lefties in the pen.
]]>By: Mark'dhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75819
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:23:32 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75819Hard to imagine any more trades occurring at this time unless Rizzo is preemptively shopping LaRoche. I see Mark's list as the viable options until the Prince Fielder drama sorts out in the next 2 weeks.
]]>By: Steve M.http://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75818
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:51:48 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75818Lombo's sample size was so small that you can't draw any conclusion just like a September callup who hits .340. There is potential there but clearly no permanent spot right now. Again, would love to see him learn LF and be a DeRosa clone plus Lombo can switch-hit.
]]>By: DFLhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75817
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:36:00 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75817RE: Anonymous' comment above Teams Josh Reddick has played on have a better Won-Lost PCT better than those of Ryan Zimmerman. Should the Nats trade Zimmerman for Reddick?Comment unrelated to thread's original topic. It has been said that Lombardozzi didn't handle major league pitching in his limited call-up last September. Similarly, Dustin Pedroia hit .191 in his limited call-up as a 22 year old. He improved. So might Lombardozzi.
]]>By: Anonymoushttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75816
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:35:59 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75816I am not exactly advocating for Pierre so much as I am someone who can bring top of the order skills. Podsednik might work too. I would have liked DeJesus and I loved Coco for his add of the nice glove. The club has a lot of guys who swing for the fences and not enough guys who can play small ball. I love Lombo's small ball game, but he's blocked and untested. And even if Desmond hits well at lead off, the club's 2 hole guy is who? Werth or Espi, and I am guessing that both of the guys are likely better suited to hit down in the order. Will and the Anon person can duke it out over Juan all they want, I have much less of a horse in this race as I may have let on.dfh21
]]>By: Anonymoushttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75815
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:30:28 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75815It's more compelling than "he's awful".
]]>By: Willhttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75814
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:28:10 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75814Anon,You were the one extolling his great talent of scoring runs.I was merely trying to dispel the myth that he was a winner or played for good teams, and that somehow indicated anything about his talent level.But it seems to me that it's just you and dfh21 advocating for Pierre and just about everyone else claiming it's a dumb idea. I guess we're all wrong?But I'll leave you to argue your point. "His OBP was .374 8 years ago!", "He can score runs!" and "He used to play centerfield!" It's very compelling….
]]>By: Binx Bollinghttp://natsinsider.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs/comment-page-1/#comment-75813
Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:27:30 +0000http://natsinsider.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/not-many-jobs-up-for-grabs#comment-75813If LaRoche was gone, Fielder is not signed and Morse is moved to first, Pierre would be a fine signing for left. Leads off. Can steal a base yet his steal PCT slipped badly last year. And the decline is probably permanent due to age. If you wanted a Pierre on the cheap, Scott Podsednik awaits Rizzo's call.
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